Do you really, truly, honestly believe in God and Christ? Ponder the following as you reflect on your own beliefs and faith…
Þ If God told you to build a giant ship; would you? Noah did.
Þ If God told you to leave home and go to a distant land; would you? Abraham did.
Þ If God told you to cut off a part of your body and a sensitive part at that; would you? Abraham did.
Þ If God told you to sacrifice your own child; would you make all preparations to do so? Abraham did.
Þ If God told you to go and make petition on His behalf before a great king; would you? Moses did.
Þ If God told you to travel the world spreading His Word; would you? The Apostles and other devoted individuals did.
Let’s look at this another way now…
Þ If God kicked you out of paradise; would you forsake Him? Adam didn’t.
Þ If God led you about all your life and you never truly had a home; would you forsake Him? Abraham didn’t.
Þ If God caused you to spend the last 40 years of your life wandering in a wilderness with a bunch of malcontents; would you forsake Him? Moses didn’t.
Þ If God allowed you to lose all that you owned and allowed for all your children to die; would you forsake Him? Job didn’t.
Þ If you followed God faithfully and it caused you to be hated, beaten, and imprisoned; would you forsake Him? The Apostles didn’t.
The odds are that the vast majority of Christians will never be called upon to build a great big boat or tested by being instructed to sacrifice one of their children. But we are all called to spend our lives in service to God. Many times, the big things are easy, it is the small things that seem to challenge us the most. Daily devotion, being a serious student of God’s Word, attending worship services, and displaying Christian qualities in everyday interactions with others.
Likewise, the big struggles in life are when many often draw tighter to God in their faith. Yet the small struggles of life can tend to slowly erode our faith and leave it completely diminished. The big things are not going to keep many people from pleasing God, it is the little things that are going to pile up and be a constant displeasure to God.
In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul instructed Timothy; “Be diligent to show yourself approved unto God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth.” Each and every one of us needs to put forth our best efforts to accurately and completely follow God’s Word so that we might please Him with our righteous conduct before His eyes. God has spoken through His Word expectations He expects all Christians to do. What has God asked you to do that you are not doing?
Solomon closed the book of Ecclesiastes with the following words. Meditate on their sentiments over the days ahead.
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing whether good or evil.
(Carl Hartman is the Minister at Main Street Church of Christ in Lockney)
